Heat's LeBron James responds to racist 'tweet'

What started as playful response to critics turned into James receiving a racist Twitter message. James addressed it after Wednesday's practice, saying "it doesn't affect me at all."

"I think Twitter is definitely somewhere you can reach out to your fans who don't get an opportunity to see you on an everyday basis," James said. "It's not every day that I'm using things as motivation. It's once in a blue moon when you need the world to see that no matter how many good things you do, you're always going to have people that [downgrade] what you do. You use it to get better every day."

James started a Twitter account in July as a way to interact with fans. In three months, he gained more than 900,000 followers. His updates range from basketball-related items to concert pictures to videos of his son's first day of school.

Then he sent out a "tweet" Wednesday claiming it was "Hater Day," and expressed his love for doubters. One response prompted James to "retweet" so the rest of his followers could see. It used a racial slur and described him as "big nosed big lipped bug eyed." It continued, "Ur greedy, u try to hide ur ghettoness."

James, who will start Thursday's game against Atlanta, said he relayed the message because he wanted others to notice what he and other celebrity athletes experience. Racist Twitter comments hurled at athletes have grown as the website gains popularity.

In March, an unnamed Seattle high school basketball player was the subject of threats after racist comments were posted on a fake Twitter account that purported to be his. Earlier this season, University of Miami football player Jacory Harris received a message that suggested the school would never win with a black quarterback.

"I just want you guys to sometimes see it also," James said. "To see what type of words that are said toward me and toward us in general as professional athletes. It's not always … everybody thinks it is a bed of roses, but it's really not. For me, I have enough motivation but it's always good to have a little bit more."

This is James' second brush with racial issues. Last month he said during an interview with CNN he felt some of the negativity surrounding his decision to join the Heat was because of skin color. When asked whether race played a role, James said, "I think so at times. It's always, you know, a race factor."

James "retweeted" two other negative messages, but neither mentioned race. His final Twitter response was a reference to the hip-hop song "Hate Me Now" by rapper Nas.

"It hasn't surprised me," James said. "You're always going to have people who love you and who hate you. That comes with the territory. But as I continue what I need to do here and focus on one goal and that's being here and representing this franchise the best I can and I'm going to do that."